November 13, 2026
2 min read
Key takeaways:
- Burnout is an ever-prevalent part of medicine, and it can come with real consequences.
- A speaker discussed how taking care of yourself can help take care of patients, too.
ORLANDO — Self-care can help healthcare providers truly flourish, according to a speaker here.
In her keynote presentation at the annual ACLM conference, Dawn Mussallem, DO, DipABLM, chief medical officer of Fountain Life in Jacksonville, Florida, discussed the importance of a healthcare provider’s vitality both for themselves and their patients.
Self-care can help healthcare providers truly flourish, according to a speaker here. Image: Adobe Stock
Although flourishing is something that providers “aren’t very good [at] in our own lives,” Mussallem said that, if their own self-care is neglected, providers can carry exhaustion into the exam room with them.
In 2023, 45.2% of physicians reported burnout, according to one study Mussallem cited. Plus, physicians had an 82% higher likelihood of burnout than those in other occupations (OR = 1.82; 95% CI, 1.63-2.05). A 2022 study published in BMJ highlights the consequences of this: physician burnout was associated with double the patient safety incidents.
“We have to show up for ourselves,” Mussallem said. “I know we’re each in these unique experiences of being pulled in so many different directions, but we have our own unique life that we can’t lose sight of.”
However, she also highlighted that burnout levels move throughout time; for example, in the same 2023 study, researchers reported that 62.8% of providers felt burnt out in 2021, so the 45.2% number can be seen as an improvement.
“Five percent of the blood that the heart beats, it keeps for itself. You’ve got to show up for yourself in life,” she said. “Ninety-five percent of what it does is it’s feeding the rest of the body. And in life, that’s what each of you are doing. You are serving others. You are showing up for others in a way that you will never truly understand the impact of.”
But keeping that 5% is what makes giving the 95% possible, Mussallem said.
“Give back to yourself; 95% is showing up for the needs of others through that lens of love for humanity, and service and compassion,” she said. “When you take your own medicine, others are going to follow you because you’re going to be the biggest source of inspiration, and that’s going to move every single life you touch.”
Sources/Disclosures
Source:
Mussallem D. Keynote: Choose fully alive: Lifestyle medicine and the science of restoration, resilience and human flourishing. Presented at: Lifestyle Medicine Conference; Nov. 8-11, 2026; Orlando.
References:
Disclosures:
Healio was unable to determine relevant financial disclosures by time of publication.
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